Chapter 13 - THE HOUSE WHERE EVERYTHING BEGAN|
Dante didn't answer immediately.
He sat in the silent conference room with Lorenzo's voice still echoing through the phone.
The old mountain house.
The place where everything had begun.
Six years earlier, Dante had driven away from that property believing he was heading home.
He had never arrived.
Now Lorenzo wanted him to return.
"Let me speak to Papa," Dante said.
Lorenzo laughed.
"Still giving orders?"
"Put him on the phone."
A long pause followed.
Then I heard an older man's voice.
"Dante?"
Dante closed his eyes.
"Papa."
"I'm all right."
His father's voice sounded frightened but steady.
"Where are you?"
"At the house."
"Did anyone hurt you?"
"No."
Another pause.
Then Carlo spoke more quietly.
"I'm sorry, son."
Dante's expression changed.
"For what?"
"For not seeing who your brother became."
Lorenzo took the phone back.
"Touching."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"What do you want?"
"The original records Noah Foster stole."
"They weren't his to steal."
"Don't pretend morality interests you now."
Dante remained silent.
Lorenzo continued.
"I also want you to withdraw your objections to the foundation's restructuring."
"That decision belongs to the board."
"Then persuade them."
Dante looked toward Claire.
She was already writing notes.
"How much time?"
"Until midnight."
"And my father?"
"Depends on how reasonable you decide to be."
The call ended.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Dante turned toward Agent Pierce.
"I want him safe."
Pierce nodded.
"So do we."
"Tell me what you need."
"Cooperation, and no independent rescue attempt."
Dante looked toward the door.
I knew what he was thinking.
He had spent six years feeling unable to protect himself.
Now his father was in danger.
And every instinct told him to act.
I reached for his hand.
"Dante."
He looked at me.
"Don't let Lorenzo decide how you respond."
His face tightened.
"That's my father."
"I know."
"He's seventy-three."
"I know that too."
Dante looked away.
"If something happens to him—"
I moved closer.
"Then we make every decision we can to protect him."
He looked back.
"Together?"
I nodded.
"Together."
Pierce began coordinating with local law enforcement.
The mountain house sat on a wooded property east of Seattle.
Its main building was surrounded by narrow roads, steep slopes, and dense trees.
There were several entrances to the grounds, but only one accessible driveway suitable for ordinary vehicles.
Dante knew the property intimately.
He had spent childhood summers there.
He remembered the old guesthouse, the stone terraces, and the sheltered courtyard behind the main building.
But he also knew that much had changed since his accident.
The house had never been fully adapted for wheelchair access.
That knowledge made his face harden.
Lorenzo had deliberately chosen a place where Dante would face unnecessary obstacles.
The insult was obvious.
I saw it.
So did Dante.
He stared at the property map.
"He's counting on me being dependent on someone else."
Pierce looked at him.
"Then we'll plan around the actual conditions, not his assumptions."
Dante nodded.
For the first time that evening, he seemed able to breathe.
As investigators prepared their response, Noah approached me.
"Annie."
I turned.
His face looked pale.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something I haven't told you."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Another secret?"
He looked ashamed.
"Yes."
I folded my arms.
"Noah."
"I know."
"Please don't tell me you were working with Lorenzo."
"No."
He shook his head quickly.
"Never."
"Then what?"
He handed me a folded document.
It was a copy of a financial authorization.
At the bottom appeared my name.
Again.
I stared.
"What is this?"
"A proposed settlement."
"With whom?"
"HarborPoint."
My blood ran cold.
Noah swallowed.
"Two years ago, they offered me money to accept responsibility for the missing funds."
I stared at him.
"You never told me."
"I refused."
"Then why does my name appear here?"
"Because they threatened to involve you."
I felt the room tilt.
"What?"
"They said your career would be destroyed unless I signed."
I stared at the document.
My brother had disappeared because he was afraid someone would hurt me.
And now he was telling me that the people behind the scandal had been using my name long before Dante and I met.
"Noah."
His eyes filled.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you'd try to help."
"Of course I would."
"And I was afraid they'd punish you for it."
My heart broke.
"Do you have any idea what your disappearance did to me?"
He lowered his head.
"I do."
"No, you don't."
My voice trembled.
"I spent two years checking the news for your name."
Tears blurred my vision.
"I called hospitals."
He began crying.
"I called people who hated me because I thought they might know where you were."
"I'm sorry."
I stepped closer.
"I thought you were dead."
Noah covered his mouth.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered, "I thought staying away would keep you safe."
I wiped my cheeks.
"It didn't."
He nodded.
"I know that now."
I took his hands.
"You don't protect someone by making them grieve you while you're still alive."
He began sobbing.
I pulled him into my arms.
And for the first time in two years, I let myself be angry and relieved at the same time.
When I looked up, Dante was watching us from across the room.
His expression was soft.
He understood more than anyone what it meant to lose years because someone else made decisions on your behalf.
At ten-fifteen, Agent Pierce approached.
"We have confirmation that Carlo is inside the house."
Dante straightened.
"Is he injured?"
"We haven't received evidence that he is."
He nodded.
"What now?"
"We're establishing communication and preparing a coordinated response."
Dante looked at the map.
"Could Lorenzo have moved him into the lower study?"
"Possibly."
"There's a second entrance from the courtyard."
Pierce studied the diagram.
"Show me."
Dante described the house in detail.
He knew which hallways connected.
Which exterior doors were narrow.
Where the old service entrance opened.
And which sections had been remodeled.
His knowledge helped investigators understand the layout.
Then Pierce received an update.
She listened.
Her expression changed.
"Daniel Cross is cooperating."
Dante stared.
"What?"
"He contacted his attorney and arranged to surrender."
Marcus looked surprised.
"Why?"
"He's concerned Lorenzo intends to escalate the situation."
Pierce turned toward Dante.
"Cross says Carlo was taken to the house against his wishes, but he wasn't physically harmed during the drive."
Relief crossed Dante's face.
"Is Cross telling the truth?"
"We'll verify his account."
Another call came through.
Pierce stepped aside.
I watched her listen.
Then she turned toward us.
"Lorenzo is demanding to speak with Dante again."
Dante took a breath.
"Put him through."
The phone connected.
"Brother," Lorenzo said.
Dante looked at the clock.
"Where's Papa?"
"Getting impatient?"
"Yes."
Lorenzo laughed.
"At least you're honest."
Dante's expression remained calm.
"What did you tell yourself when you arranged my accident?"
The question stunned everyone.
Lorenzo stopped laughing.
"What?"
"Did you think you were saving the family?"
Silence.
Dante continued.
"Or did you simply want everything I had?"
Lorenzo's voice turned cold.
"You always thought you were better than me."
"No."
"Father did."
Dante closed his eyes.
"We were supposed to lead together."
"You wanted to dismantle everything he built."
"I wanted to stop people from being hurt."
Lorenzo laughed bitterly.
"You wanted to become respectable."
"I wanted to become someone I could live with."
Silence.
Then Lorenzo spoke.
"You were always his favorite."
Dante's face changed.
"Is that what you believe?"
"He gave you the businesses."
"He gave us responsibilities."
"He trusted you."
Dante looked toward the photograph of Carlo on Pierce's laptop.
"He loved us both."
Lorenzo made a harsh sound.
"Don't."
Dante continued.
"You could have walked away."
"From what?"
"From the crimes."
"Easy for you to say."
"No."
Dante's voice grew quiet.
"I was part of that world too."
I looked at him.
He wasn't pretending to be innocent.
He was acknowledging the truth.
"I made choices I'm ashamed of," he said.
"And I'm responsible for them."
Lorenzo said nothing.
Dante continued.
"But I didn't try to kill my brother."
A long silence followed.
Then Lorenzo whispered, "You should have stayed out of my way."
My stomach turned.
Dante's eyes filled.
"Is that what I was to you?"
No answer.
"An obstacle?"
Lorenzo finally spoke.
"You don't understand what I sacrificed."
Dante looked down.
"I understand what you took."
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Dante said something I hadn't expected.
"I don't want you dead, Lorenzo."
Silence.
"I want you to surrender."
Lorenzo laughed weakly.
"So you can watch me go to prison?"
"So nobody else gets hurt."
The line went quiet.
Then a distant sound came through the phone.
Carlo's voice.
"Lorenzo, please."
A sharp movement followed.
Something fell.
Dante straightened.
"Papa?"
Lorenzo's breathing became uneven.
Then he whispered, "It's too late."
The call ended.
Pierce immediately issued instructions to the response team.
I felt my whole body turn cold.
Dante stared at the phone.
Then looked at me.
"Anna."
I took his hand.
"I'm here."
His eyes filled.
"I can't lose him."
I moved closer.
"You don't know that you will."
He nodded.
Then he whispered, "I spent six years thinking I couldn't do anything."
I touched his cheek.
"Look at everything you've done in the last three days."
He closed his eyes.
"You confronted Lorenzo."
I continued.
"You reclaimed your voice."
His breathing steadied.
"You helped investigators understand the house."
He nodded.
"And you chose not to become the kind of man your brother wanted you to be."
Dante opened his eyes.
I looked at him.
"Whatever happens next, nobody can take those choices away."
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he leaned his forehead against mine.
Outside, rain began striking the windows.
Somewhere in the mountains, Carlo Moretti was trapped inside a house filled with memories.
And the son he had once believed lost to him was fighting to bring him home.
At eleven-forty, Pierce received another update.
She listened without speaking.
Then she looked toward Dante.
"Your father is out of the house."
Dante froze.
"What?"
"He's with our team."
His shoulders sagged.
"Is he safe?"
"He's being assessed, but he's conscious."
Dante covered his face.
I held his hand.
Then Pierce continued.
"Lorenzo is still inside."
Dante looked up.
"Has he surrendered?"
"Not yet."
For a moment, relief and dread existed in the same breath.
Carlo was alive.
May you like
But Lorenzo had reached the end of the road.
And nobody knew what he would do when he realized he had nowhere left to run.
